If you read Chaletgirls blog, which I am sure you all do, you would know that little Emmeline recently turned one.  I normally buy her kids presents but I really wanted to make this little girl something special.

I wanted to make a topsy turvey doll.  You know the ones that have a head at each end with a skirt in the middle.  They are normally fairy tale characters, like red riding hood and the wolf; or cinderalla as a maid and a princess.

I wanted to crochet it and after having a quick look on ravelry I found the gourmet crochet pattern.

I ordered it from crochet australia and received it pretty much the next day.

I used wool from Yarnplanners’s stash (thanks susie).  I was really quite surprised with how much wool this pattern uses.  I quickly ran out in a few colours so had to be a little bit creative with my colour choices.

The skirts are separated by about an inch in the middle, so you will always see the other skirt underneath.

If I made it again I would stick with two colours like the pattern has – pink and white, white and pink. Then it wouldn’t look so odd seeing the other skirt.

I got it done and I love it. This is probably the best toy that I have made so far.

I was a little late getting it to her but by all accounts she loves it too.

I don’t blog much anymore but I still do a lot of making.

This last week I finished my Milobo Cardigan.  The ribbon is black velvet.  I like the look of it through the eyelets but don’t really know how to tie it to look nice.

I made a needle roll for my circular needles.  The green fabric was a gift from Sheridan long ago.

And I got all of my blocks back from the Chaletgirl block swap.

I really enjoyed being part of this swap.  It was such a small commitment and really easy to do.  And look what I got in return.  I have no idea how I am going to lay them out but I want it to be a little more interesting than a simple 9 patch quilt.

I have also cast on for a Jo Sharp jumper (a few times).  It should be going faster than it is but I am taking my time.  I have also had to rip back a few times too because I want it to be just right.

The yarn for the project is so yummy, and the most that I have ever spent for one knitting project.

I have created a totally huge and totally unachievable queue on ravelry.

I have a small stash of yarn destined to become things and I am determined to make them all.

My projects are

1.
february ladies sweater by flintknits

from 3 balls of BWM black alpacca

2.

top down round yoked cardigan by milobo

from 3 balls of BWM Rustic in cedar fleck

3.
Lilta Dinum by Cheryl Oberle from Folk Shawls which is a knitted faroese shawl. This will be a challenge and might be beyond my skills.

(this one is by toomuchwool)

using my BWM 2ply in havana

4.

Cinnebar Crochet cardigan by Doris Chan from Everyday Crochet

using some brown wool that has been in my stash for years

5.

another eva shawl also by milobo at without seams

using my BWM 3ply cone in moss

6.

a crochet lace scarf using one of the patterns from this Japanese Crochet Stitch Dictionary

using some plum laceweight Habu

If I manage to do all of this then I will spoil myself and buy some Kaalund Enchante silk in poisettia

7.

to make an Arrows stole by Annette Peavey.

this is vhanna26’s

Its a doozy of a list isn’t it.  I reckon that if I try and complete a project every two months I might get through my list by the end of the year. Then I would have all of these new knits – 3 cardigans, 2 shawls, a scarf and a stole.

This is just my knit/crochet list.  I have lots of other sewing/quilting projects that I want to do too.  And all of those pop up “must makes”.

This time next year I will look back on this list and see how I went.

It is going to be a big year!!

I needed a quick crochet fix after doing lots of big projects.

The fat bottom bag is from the Happy Hooker book. I used my some leftover red Bendigo Woolen Mills 8ply cotton and 5ply wool. I held the two strands together and used a 5.5mm hook. Both yarns were different reds but together they look great.






The bag turned out a lot smaller than I anticipated, but I love it. I fits so much … stuff. Great for just ducking out the door with the necessities.

I really wanted to make something special for Sheridan for when Emmeline arrived. I had already made the exquisite afghan by Terry Kimborough, but I had already given that to her – months ago.

I didn’t want to sew anything because she can make make lots of beautiful things and I wanted to give her something that she couldn’t make herself.

I decided on a shawl. I have so much trouble trying to choose a pattern and the yarn. I wanted it to be cozy and practical, comfortable and warm. And I wanted to crochet it. I wanted her to be able to use it during the night to keep the chills away or when out for a little privacy when feeding.

I ended up going with Eva. It is a very simple pattern that I found on ravelry and it is very popular. You can use any type of yarn, any guage and they all seem to turn out well.

I choose a bendigo woolen mills 8ply wool called Rustic in a purple/grey colour called Agate. It is gorgeous. I am so tempted to make myself one. It only took 2 x 200g balls (800m) and a couple of weeks to make. I finished it late November and it was ready to mail as soon as Emmeline arrived.

I was just part of a rainbow swap on ravelry – in the australian swappers group. (I apologise to those not on ravelry).

It was a pretty simple swap.  $25 budget with the requirements of including at least one ball of red yarn.

I got a package from K10.  There were lots of red goodies.  Some are pictured below including some beautiful Habu lace weight merino. It is the most delightful plum colour.

I have been admiring this arrows stole pattern for ages and this might just be the perfect yarn for it.

I sent my package off yesterday. I took some photos but due to technical difficulties (damn camera), I lost the images.

I am normally pretty slack about contributing (financially) to my favourite sites, blogs and podcasts. I know that most people do it for nothing and survive on love and the generosity of a select few.

But with ravelry I was ridden with guilt. The have made a superb community and it is loved and used by hundreds of thousands of people. To show my support I bought a t-shirt and pin from their mini mart.

The shirt is a Hanes Womans V.  They don’t seem to have this pattern/colour in stock at the moment. If you can’t read backwards is says “a daily dose of fiber’” and the plants are soy, cotton and bamboo.

I was a bit worried about the sizing. This is an XL and is marginally big – I am normally an aussie L or 14 in shirts.  But if it was marginally small I wouldn’t wear it.  It is very comfy.

I wear the pin on my lanyard at work.  One day I might run into someone that understands what it means.  The only comment I have received about it so far was asking if it was a grid iron helmet. Stupid bloke!

Memories of holidays are fading fast.  But while I was away I worked on and completed Sir Stephen the bunny from Interweave Crochet Magazine (summer 08) for my new baby nephew.



He was really fun to make and very cute. He is jointed so you can move his arms and legs around. The pattern calls for buttons but because this was for a baby I just left them out. I also used hat elastic to put him together just to allow a little more flexibility.

I used yarn from my stash and didn’t really have enough of anything to complete him. He is actually made from two totally different yarns. The head and main body are a brown alpaca and the ears and legs are a grey wool. They looked pretty close as balls but when completed it is hard to tell the difference.

I don’t think that I would call this afghan “exquisite”, it just happens to be the name of the pattern by Terry Kimbrough that I made for Sheridan aka Chalet Girl.

When I first learned that Sheridan was going through IVF again I decided to begin a crochet afghan for the new baby.  I chose to crochet something because I knew it was something that Sheridan couldn’t make herseIf.  I chose the pattern and bought the wool and began immediately.  All the while, every stitch I was thinking of her and her little family, hoping that the whole IVF process would work and thinking positive thoughts for her.  Almost like a prayer shawl.

Anyway, I have been keeping this project a secret for so long.  I gave it to her while I was visiting because there was no way I could wait another couple of months for the baby to be born.  Here it is in her baby girls room and this is it on ravelry.

I decided on a Terry Kimbrough pattern because all of her patterns are not only beautiful but have that heirloom quality about them.  The exquisite pattern is on the front cover of the Heirloom Afghan for Baby booklet . I bought my copy from crochet Australia.

The wool I used is Bendigo Woolen Mills Classic 5ply in Holly.  I really wanted to use a gender neutral non traditional colour and I thought that red was the perfect choice.  I bought 3 x 200g balls, but only used 2 – about 1000m (1100yds).

The pattern is surprisingly easy and I didn’t have any major problems.  Considering I only started crocheting Xmas 07, I am extremely happy with the end result.

I finished the main body at the end of march.

I dragged it out again in June and not long after I found out the recipient was going to be a little girl.

Then all of a sudden it was finished.  So I made an effort and blocked it.

And it was well worth it.  It turned out really well.

And now here it is where it belongs. In a little girls room where it will be used and loved. Maybe not made “for” the baby but it was made for my very special friend, whom I would do anything for.

xx

Mum showed me this scarf/shawl pattern that she had clipped from a magazine ages ago. I really liked the idea of it and was keen to make it for her.

My first issue was that the yarn was difficult to source. It is cleckheaton studio mohair and the occasional ball can be found at K-Mart but I don’t think they are continuing to stock it.

She wanted it in either brown or cream. So when I was unable to buy the right yarn I went with something totally different – a chunky acrylic single which is extremely soft. But when I swatched the pattern with it, it was all wrong and just looked crap.

So not willing to waste the wool I made a Zen scarf that I found on ravelry. It didn’t take long at all to make and she is very happy with it.

(the top photo shows the colour more accurately)

So she got a scarf, but not the one she wanted. I still feel as though I had to make her the one that she initially liked. Not to be beaten; I got 4 balls of the mohair from a fellow raveler that was destashing in Canberra and another 5 balls from an Ebay shop from Perth.

So I have already began this project and have just finished the 3rd ball.  The pattern calls for 10 balls to make the 2m wrap.  Mum is a little on the short side so I think that using 9 will be fine.